The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most [1/8 - PG13]
Title: The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most [1/8]
Rating: PG13
Fandom: CSI:NY/CSI:Miami/CSI:NO
Characters/Pairings: Drew Hagen (OC), Samantha Hagen (OC), Miranda Andrews (OC), Jason Andrews (OC), Anya Jakes-Hagen (OC), Don Flack, Jr., Mac Taylor, Danny Messer, Stella Bonaserra, Adam Ross. Drew/Anya (breif), Drew/Miranda (mentioned), Flack/Sam, Jason/Sam (mentioned), Jason/Miranda.
Seasons/Spoilers: AU after S3 of CSI:Miami, AU after S4 of CSI:NY
Summary: After missing his chance to catch a serial killer in New Orleans, Drew is given a second chance in New York, when the killer makes a reappearance. Only this time the stakes are higher when the killer when Drew's daughter and her mother are put in danger.
Author's Notes: This hasn't been read by a beta. It originally was for au-bigbang, but some drama came up with my beta and I didn't get a chance to get it posted by the due date. Despite that, I'm very happy with the way this came out and extremely proud, as it's the longest worded (finished) fic I've ever written.
2002 - Pearl River, Louisiana
It had been a long and stressful week for Detective William "Drew" Hagen, Jr. and his partner Detective Jensen Holmes, but it had finally come to an end. After running around Pearl River chasing down leads, some that went no where and others that did, they had finally caught their suspect.
"It's over!" Drew exclaimed, as he literally fell into his chair at his desk, totally exhausted.
Despite being just as tired as his partner was, Holmes managed to sit down more gracefully at his own desk, which was situated directly across from Drew's. "It's 'bout damn time. Too many people had ta die." Holmes was born and bred in the bayou and had come from Cajun folk, so he had a very thick accent.
"Where is he now?" Drew asked. He, was Maxwell Bennett their murder suspect, who they had for sure on one murder charge, but suspected he may have been involved in multiple homicides. It would take some time, but Drew was confident that they would find evidence that linked him to the others.
Holmes shrugged. "Lock up, still 'probly. Takes a while to get processed with all da' crazy that's been goin' on 'round here lately."
Drew nodded. "Let's hope he stays there."
"Amen." Holmes completely agreed.
The two soon fell into a comfortable silence and began to lose themselves in the paperwork for the case.
Drew had just finished the first page of his report, detailing how they caught Bennett running down a back alley after he spotted them coming, when their Lieutenant's office door opened up and out walked the man in question free as the day he came into this world.
A hush fell over the entire squad room as they all watched their Lieutenant, Jennifer-Jollete Leocodie, shake hands with Maxwell Bennett and escort him to the door, before she walked back to her office without an explanation to anyone.
Drew stood slowly from his seat. "Did you just see that?" he asked, anger seeping into his voice as he stared at JJ's closed office door.
Holmes nodded. "Don' go fussin' with the rattlesnake unless you want to get yo ass bit."
But Drew was beyond listening to reason. He marched straight towards the office, all eyes on him.
"Don' do it man!" Holmes yelled after his partner, but it was too late. He was already at the door..
Inside the office, JJ had just sat down at her desk, when her door was flung open. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" She yelled as Drew walked in and closed the door behind him, none too gently.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he yelled back. "You just let a murderer walk out of here!"
JJ's eyes narrowed. "Maxwell Bennett is a free man and you are to stay very far away from him."
"He's a murderer!" Drew yelled again.
JJ stood up from her desk and walked around it, so that she was now standing toe to toe with Drew. Despite the fact that he was a good five feet taller than her, she looked down right scary at that particular moment, and he took step back, which obviously pleased JJ.
"Just tell me why is he not under arrested?" he asked, this time in a much calmer voice. The anger was still there, but he wasn't yelling anymore.
"When Officer Trace was collecting evidence from Mr. Bennett's car, his glove broke. He got a finger print on a piece of evidence. When Mr. Bennett's lawyers talked with the judge, he agreed that if once piece of evidence had been mishandled, then most of it probably was as well. Without evidence or a confession you have no case."
Drew's stomach began to turn on itself and he had to put his head between his legs to keep from throwing up. Two months ago, when the case had landed on his and Homles' deskes, there was no evidence or leads, but they had worked it hard and eventually found Maxwell Bennett to be a prime suspect. After that, they spent all of this past week searching for him and now, when they finally had him in custody, one stupid rookie mistake had cost them everything.
"Wait," Drew said as he realized something. He stood up straight again. "How did Bennett's lawyers know about the evidence screw up when even I didn't?" JJ said nothing, just shifted her weight slightly from foot to foot and shrugged. "You told him," he said in shock.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said defensively.
"Bullshit! You told Bennett's lawyers. The captain would have been told about it, then you, then the arresting officers. It's standard procedure. That means if it stopped at you, you were the one who told them."
When she straightened herself up, to make herself look as tall as she could be, he knew without a doubt that he was right.
"So what if I did."
"So? SO?!" he was yelling again. "So you let a murderer walk away! For what? Oh wait, don't tell me." JJ would have done anything to make Captain and with the help of Maxwell Bennett's uncle, Charles La Crox owner of La Crox Oils, the second most largest oil drilling company in the United States, it would be that much easier.
"You wouldn't have had a case, Detective." JJ said, still defensive. "So no matter what my reasons were, you wouldn't have been able to make anything stick."
"At least we would have had Bennett in custody for a few more hours. That would've been plenty of time to get a confession out of him."
"It's over and done with. Deal with it Drew."
"You should have told me first," he said quietly.
"Why? Because we're sleeping together? Just because you're my boyfriend outside of work, doesn't mean you have to be inside too. I did what I had to do."
"What you had to do," Drew scoffed. He wasn't yelling anymore. In fact, he wasn't even really angry anymore. The shock of it all had made him more or less numb, now.
"You're to leave Maxwell Bennett and his family alone. Do you understand?" JJ said firmly.
"Crystal."
"Good." She turned and walked back to her seat. "Now get out of here."
Drew didn't need to be told twice. As he left her office, he slammed the door with all his strength. Everyone in the office heard JJ call him a son of a bitch and the creak of the door frame as it cracked under the weight of the door being slammed.
"What's goin' on?" Holmes asked, once Drew had reached his desk.
"Bennett's gone. We have no case."
"What?" Holmes was just as shocked as he was.
Instead of going into details, Drew said nothing, as he unlocked the desk drawer where his gun and badge were locked and took them out. Once they were both secure on his belt, he picked up his coat and walked away, completely ignoring Holmes' pleas to come back and tell him what was happening. He just couldn't deal with having to retell him or anyone else everything that JJ had just told him.
The walk though the squad room felt unbearably long and he was well aware of the fact that every single officer in the room was watching him. It didn't help matters that even the civilians who were in the squad room were watching him as well. You could almost see the confusion rolling off of them in waves and Drew just needed to go.
Soon as he stepped outside, he took in a deep breath and let it out slowly and stared at the ground, trying to calm himself.
"Detective Hagen."
He looked up to see Maxwell Bennett leaning against a black town car, with a bodyguard standing by his side.
Drew straightened himself up and resisted the urge to reach for his gun. There was only one way now to get justice for the women that Bennett murdered.
"I just want to say that I'm not sorry it had to end this way," Bennett said. "But let's let bygones be bygones, shall we?" He took a few steps forward and held out his hand, but when Drew made no move to shake it, he took it back. "Fine then."
"I'll get you one day, you sick son of a bitch." Drew spat.
Bennett's bodyguard tried to move in on Drew, but Bennett held up an arm to signal him not too and he resumed his position against the car.
"Oh I don't think so, Detective," Bennett said smoothly. "You see, my uncle is sending me away. Far away in fact. Somewhere where the American government has no authority." The smugness in his voice and face was making Drew sick to his stomach, but he said nothing. "Don't worry, we'll see each other again, I'm sure of it." Bennett said, before he got into the town car. "Goodbye, Detective Hagen."
Drew stood and watched as the car then pulled away from the curb and sped off down the street. Even when it had turned a corner and was completely out of sight, he continued to just stand there and he felt absolutely horrible. Not for himself, of course, but for the victim's families. For the children of the women he murdered who would grow up in life never knowing their mother's love. He couldn't even begin to imagine what life would be like without his mother there to love him, to comfort him and to tell him how proud she was of him and his choices in life.
It was at that moment, that Drew Hagen vowed to do whatever he had to do to, legally of course, get Maxwell Bennett behind bars for good.
- - -
Present day - New York City, New York.
Julie Collins, single mother of two, was in her living room watching TV and enjoying a quiet afternoon while the children were napping, when there was a knock at the door. Thankful that someone had actually read and took into consideration the "please knock, there are children sleeping" sign that she'd taped to the door, Julie got up and answered it.
"Hello?" She called though the door.
"Uh hi. My name is Max and I just moved in to the apartment down the hall." Came a man's voice.
Once she'd made sure that the chain was firmly in place, Julie opened the door a crack to peek out. Standing in the hallway, she saw a man with brown hair, who was average height for a man and was athletic in build. He had a thick beard, so it was hard for her to tell exactly how old he was, but if she'd had to wager a guess, she would've said he was probably in his mid to late thirties or just edging early forties. His most striking feature though, were his eyes. They were the biggest, most beautiful clear blue eyes that she had seen in her life.
All in all, she decided that he was very handsome and seemed harmless enough.
"What can I do for you?" she asked.
Max smiled, a bright and charming smile. "My phone hasn't been turned on yet and my cellphone has died and my charger is still packed away. Do you mind if I use your phone to call the phone company?"
Julie smiled back. "Not at all. Hold on a second." She closed the door and removed the chain, then opened it wide for Max to step inside.
"Thank you." Max said as he closed the door behind him.
"The phone is this way." She led him into the living room.
Once they were there, Max noted the children's DVDs on the shelf above the television and toys laying around. "Do you have children?"
Julie nodded. "A boy and a girl. That's them in the picture." She was pointing to a picture on the wall behind him next to the door.
"Where are they now?" he asked. It was small apartment, and he didn't see them anywhere in sight.
"They're in their bedroom sleeping. We just got back from California and they're still pretty jet lagged." Julie then picked up the phone off of the base and handed it to him.
"Thank you," Max replied with a smile as he took it from her.
"Would you like some tea?" She asked. It had been a long time since the had been in the company of a man, even a stranger and she wanted to make it last just a little longer. Not that she was desperate, not really, just lonely.
"I would love some." Max replied, with that same charming smile as before.
"Great." Julie said, smiling back again.
As she turned toward the kitchen, Max clenched his fist around the phone and brought it up over his head. Julie had gotten no more than a few feet away, when the phone hit her hard in the back of the head. Instantly she went down. Although she was stunned and bleeding from the back of her head, she had enough sense to roll over on her back and stare up at her attacker.
"Please," she said with tears in her eyes. "Not my babies. Please don't hurt my children."
Max just stared down at her. He was smiling, but his eyes were empty. "Don't worry," he said in a smooth voice. "I'm only going to kill you."
Before Julie could even react to the words, Max brought the phone down again against her skull and this time he didn't stop until he was sure that she was dead.
- - -
Hours later, the place was crawling with cops.
The first thing that Detective Mac Taylor registered when he passed the crime scene tape and uniform at the door, was that same picture that Julie had pointed out earlier that day of her smiling and happy with her two children, on the wall. He noted how pretty she was and how happy she had looked as she and her children enjoyed a day at Coney Island. The second thing he noticed was the body and he couldn't help but shiver at the sight. Whoever had murdered Julie Collins had beaten her so bad that her face was completely unrecognizable. The coroner would have to use finger prints and dental records to officially identify her.
"Mac." Detective Don Flack Jr. greeted him, once he realized that he'd arrive.
"What have we got, Flack?" Mac asked, moving carefully pass the body to where Flack was standing behind the couch.
"Victim's name is Julie Collins, age twenty nine. Single mom living here with her two kids." Flack was reading from his notebook.
"Where are the children?" Mac asked.
"Social Services took them five minutes ago." Flack replied.
"Are you sure it's the mother?" Mac asked.
Flack nodded. "Sure as we can be for now. Neighbor said that she and the children were the only ones who live in the apartment."
Both men looked away from the body when they heard movement in the hallway. A second later, Detective Danny Messer came walking into the room.
"Danny," Mac greeted him with a nod.
"Mac, " Danny replied with a nod of his own.
"The same neighbor who I spoke to called 911 a little more than an hour ago when she said she heard the children crying and couldn't get a response form the mother. The officer on scene had to kick the door open." Flack continued reading from his notebook.
Both Danny and Mac looked at the door in question and could see the chunk of wood that had been taken out of the side panel from where the lock met the door jam.
"So whoever killed her lock the door after?" Danny asked.
"Or left some other way." Mac replied. "You work the body and I'll dust the windows for prints."
Danny nodded. "Sounds good to me."
"I'll do a canvas and ask around if any of the other neighbors heard or saw anything." Flack said and then left the scene.
Just as Mac was about to start dusting the kitchen window for prints, his phone rang. He un-clipped it form his belt and answered it. "Detective Taylor?"
"Mac, it's Drew Hagen."
"Drew, good to hear from you." Mac said. Although he couldn't help but get the feeling that Drew wasn't calling for social reasons.
"Likewise. Listen, there's something I need to talk to you about and it's important. Do you have a minute?"
Mac looked around the scene. "I'm at a crime scene right now. Can it wait?"
"Not really."
Mac could hear the tension in Drew's voice. "Alright. Let me call someone else in and I'll give you a call when I get back to my office."
"Alright."
"I'll call you in about half an hour or so." Mac said and then hung up.
Danny, who was kneeling before the body taking pictures, looked away from his camera and up at his boss. "Problems?" He asked.
Mac nodded. "You're going to have to work this with Samantha. Will you give her a call for me? I've got to get back to the labs."
"Yeah sure, no prob." Danny said.
"Thanks." Mac quickly packed up what little gear he had gotten out and left the scene.
Once he was gone, Danny put down the camera and picked up his cellphone. He hit a number on the speed dial and waited a the few moments it took to ring.
"Hello?" Sam answered.
"Hagen, looks like you're stuck with me tonight." He said.
"I thought Mac was working with you?" She asked.
"So did I. But he just got a call from your cousin Drew and split."
"Drew?" Samantha asked, clearly confused as to why her cousin would be calling her boss and not her. Surely if it had been personal, he would've called her first or even Miranda.
Danny nodded, though he knew that she couldn't see him. "Yup."
"I wonder what it's about." She said.
"Well get your butt down here and we can find out after we process everything. I'll text you the address."
"On my way". Sam replied and then hung up.
Danny quickly opened up a text message window and typed in the address, then hit send.
So much for a quiet Saturday night.
- - -
A little less than half an hour later, Mac was back at the labs and seated in his office. He picked up the phone and quickly dialed Drew's number. He didn't have to wait long though. One ring and Drew was on the other line.
"Mac?" He answered.
"Yes. Now what's so important that you had me leave a scene for?" Mac replied
"You've got a serial killer in your city." Drew then began to tell Mac the story of Maxwell Bennett and everything that had happened back in Pearl River.
"Are you sure?" Mac asked, once Drew was finished talking. He really didn't want it to be true, but he knew that Drew wouldn't have called unless it was.
"Customs said he flew into JFK a couple of days ago. I just found out half an hour and a half ago and called you as soon as it was confirmed."
Just then in a knot began to form in the pit of Mac's stomach. "The scene I've just come from, involves a young murdered mother."
A similar knot was beginning to form in Drew's stomach as well. "Oh no."
Mac sighed. "Mother of two, beaten to death with a cordless phone."
"How old were the children?"
"One was two and the other had just turned three years old a few months ago." Mac replied.
Drew sighed. "Goddamn it to hell, son of a bitch."
"My feelings exactly." Mac said. "How soon can you get to New York?"
"Already making the arrangements." Drew replied. He had his laptop open in front of him and the browser was on a travel website. He was putting in the information as he spoke.
"Good. I'll call Yvette and let her know what's going on. And Drew?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry."
"Me too, Mac. Me too."
Mac hung up the phone and sighed heavily. This was the last thing he needed right now.
Drew was having similar feelings in New Orleans.
When he'd first gotten the call from the security agent at customs, he thought it was some sort of sick joke. He'd never in his entire life thought that Maxwell Bennett would return to the United States. But he apparently had and was now in New York. The fact that he had already killed wasn't as surprising as it probably should have been. Plus the fact that Drew knew that by the time this was over there would be at least one or more bodies, absolutely scared him shitless.
He was so caught up in his thoughts, that he didn't hear Anya come in or even see the hot cup of tea that she had placed beside him on the desk. In fact, he didn't even acknowledge her until she literally shook him out of it.
The confused and worried expression that he looked up at her with, damn near broke her heart and Anya immediately took him into her arms, determined to squeeze away his demons. Everyone knew about Maxwell Bennett and how much it haunted Drew. In all the years they'd known each other, she knew that he looked over Bennett's files at least once every few months and kept copies in his locker, his desk and at home. It was his obsession.
"Do you want me to go with you to New York?" She asked. Her head was on his shoulder and they were both staring straight ahead at the computer screen.
Drew shook his head, best he could. "No. This is something I've got to do on my own and someone needs to stay with the boys. Plus Yvette can't stand to lose two detectives this short notice."
Anya nodded, without removing her head from her husband's shoulder. "Especially her best one."
When Drew didn't make a joke about him being the best, Anya's heart ached more as she realized at the moment just how serious this was. She had never known him to pass up the opportunity to make a stupid joke. His lame jokes were part of the reason she fell in love with him.
"You'll get him," she said firmly.
"I hope so," he replied, not so sure.
"You will," she said again. Before she could say anything more on the matter, the baby monitor on their beside table came to life and the sounds of their twins crying blared through it.
"Guess they're up from their nap," he said.
"I'm going to check on them. Will you be okay?"
Drew nodded. "Go."
Reluctantly, she let go of her husband, but not before kissing the top of his head. When she was gone, he went back to the computer and finished putting in the information for the airline tickets.
Rating: PG13
Fandom: CSI:NY/CSI:Miami/CSI:NO
Characters/Pairings: Drew Hagen (OC), Samantha Hagen (OC), Miranda Andrews (OC), Jason Andrews (OC), Anya Jakes-Hagen (OC), Don Flack, Jr., Mac Taylor, Danny Messer, Stella Bonaserra, Adam Ross. Drew/Anya (breif), Drew/Miranda (mentioned), Flack/Sam, Jason/Sam (mentioned), Jason/Miranda.
Seasons/Spoilers: AU after S3 of CSI:Miami, AU after S4 of CSI:NY
Summary: After missing his chance to catch a serial killer in New Orleans, Drew is given a second chance in New York, when the killer makes a reappearance. Only this time the stakes are higher when the killer when Drew's daughter and her mother are put in danger.
Author's Notes: This hasn't been read by a beta. It originally was for au-bigbang, but some drama came up with my beta and I didn't get a chance to get it posted by the due date. Despite that, I'm very happy with the way this came out and extremely proud, as it's the longest worded (finished) fic I've ever written.
2002 - Pearl River, Louisiana
It had been a long and stressful week for Detective William "Drew" Hagen, Jr. and his partner Detective Jensen Holmes, but it had finally come to an end. After running around Pearl River chasing down leads, some that went no where and others that did, they had finally caught their suspect.
"It's over!" Drew exclaimed, as he literally fell into his chair at his desk, totally exhausted.
Despite being just as tired as his partner was, Holmes managed to sit down more gracefully at his own desk, which was situated directly across from Drew's. "It's 'bout damn time. Too many people had ta die." Holmes was born and bred in the bayou and had come from Cajun folk, so he had a very thick accent.
"Where is he now?" Drew asked. He, was Maxwell Bennett their murder suspect, who they had for sure on one murder charge, but suspected he may have been involved in multiple homicides. It would take some time, but Drew was confident that they would find evidence that linked him to the others.
Holmes shrugged. "Lock up, still 'probly. Takes a while to get processed with all da' crazy that's been goin' on 'round here lately."
Drew nodded. "Let's hope he stays there."
"Amen." Holmes completely agreed.
The two soon fell into a comfortable silence and began to lose themselves in the paperwork for the case.
Drew had just finished the first page of his report, detailing how they caught Bennett running down a back alley after he spotted them coming, when their Lieutenant's office door opened up and out walked the man in question free as the day he came into this world.
A hush fell over the entire squad room as they all watched their Lieutenant, Jennifer-Jollete Leocodie, shake hands with Maxwell Bennett and escort him to the door, before she walked back to her office without an explanation to anyone.
Drew stood slowly from his seat. "Did you just see that?" he asked, anger seeping into his voice as he stared at JJ's closed office door.
Holmes nodded. "Don' go fussin' with the rattlesnake unless you want to get yo ass bit."
But Drew was beyond listening to reason. He marched straight towards the office, all eyes on him.
"Don' do it man!" Holmes yelled after his partner, but it was too late. He was already at the door..
Inside the office, JJ had just sat down at her desk, when her door was flung open. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" She yelled as Drew walked in and closed the door behind him, none too gently.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he yelled back. "You just let a murderer walk out of here!"
JJ's eyes narrowed. "Maxwell Bennett is a free man and you are to stay very far away from him."
"He's a murderer!" Drew yelled again.
JJ stood up from her desk and walked around it, so that she was now standing toe to toe with Drew. Despite the fact that he was a good five feet taller than her, she looked down right scary at that particular moment, and he took step back, which obviously pleased JJ.
"Just tell me why is he not under arrested?" he asked, this time in a much calmer voice. The anger was still there, but he wasn't yelling anymore.
"When Officer Trace was collecting evidence from Mr. Bennett's car, his glove broke. He got a finger print on a piece of evidence. When Mr. Bennett's lawyers talked with the judge, he agreed that if once piece of evidence had been mishandled, then most of it probably was as well. Without evidence or a confession you have no case."
Drew's stomach began to turn on itself and he had to put his head between his legs to keep from throwing up. Two months ago, when the case had landed on his and Homles' deskes, there was no evidence or leads, but they had worked it hard and eventually found Maxwell Bennett to be a prime suspect. After that, they spent all of this past week searching for him and now, when they finally had him in custody, one stupid rookie mistake had cost them everything.
"Wait," Drew said as he realized something. He stood up straight again. "How did Bennett's lawyers know about the evidence screw up when even I didn't?" JJ said nothing, just shifted her weight slightly from foot to foot and shrugged. "You told him," he said in shock.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said defensively.
"Bullshit! You told Bennett's lawyers. The captain would have been told about it, then you, then the arresting officers. It's standard procedure. That means if it stopped at you, you were the one who told them."
When she straightened herself up, to make herself look as tall as she could be, he knew without a doubt that he was right.
"So what if I did."
"So? SO?!" he was yelling again. "So you let a murderer walk away! For what? Oh wait, don't tell me." JJ would have done anything to make Captain and with the help of Maxwell Bennett's uncle, Charles La Crox owner of La Crox Oils, the second most largest oil drilling company in the United States, it would be that much easier.
"You wouldn't have had a case, Detective." JJ said, still defensive. "So no matter what my reasons were, you wouldn't have been able to make anything stick."
"At least we would have had Bennett in custody for a few more hours. That would've been plenty of time to get a confession out of him."
"It's over and done with. Deal with it Drew."
"You should have told me first," he said quietly.
"Why? Because we're sleeping together? Just because you're my boyfriend outside of work, doesn't mean you have to be inside too. I did what I had to do."
"What you had to do," Drew scoffed. He wasn't yelling anymore. In fact, he wasn't even really angry anymore. The shock of it all had made him more or less numb, now.
"You're to leave Maxwell Bennett and his family alone. Do you understand?" JJ said firmly.
"Crystal."
"Good." She turned and walked back to her seat. "Now get out of here."
Drew didn't need to be told twice. As he left her office, he slammed the door with all his strength. Everyone in the office heard JJ call him a son of a bitch and the creak of the door frame as it cracked under the weight of the door being slammed.
"What's goin' on?" Holmes asked, once Drew had reached his desk.
"Bennett's gone. We have no case."
"What?" Holmes was just as shocked as he was.
Instead of going into details, Drew said nothing, as he unlocked the desk drawer where his gun and badge were locked and took them out. Once they were both secure on his belt, he picked up his coat and walked away, completely ignoring Holmes' pleas to come back and tell him what was happening. He just couldn't deal with having to retell him or anyone else everything that JJ had just told him.
The walk though the squad room felt unbearably long and he was well aware of the fact that every single officer in the room was watching him. It didn't help matters that even the civilians who were in the squad room were watching him as well. You could almost see the confusion rolling off of them in waves and Drew just needed to go.
Soon as he stepped outside, he took in a deep breath and let it out slowly and stared at the ground, trying to calm himself.
"Detective Hagen."
He looked up to see Maxwell Bennett leaning against a black town car, with a bodyguard standing by his side.
Drew straightened himself up and resisted the urge to reach for his gun. There was only one way now to get justice for the women that Bennett murdered.
"I just want to say that I'm not sorry it had to end this way," Bennett said. "But let's let bygones be bygones, shall we?" He took a few steps forward and held out his hand, but when Drew made no move to shake it, he took it back. "Fine then."
"I'll get you one day, you sick son of a bitch." Drew spat.
Bennett's bodyguard tried to move in on Drew, but Bennett held up an arm to signal him not too and he resumed his position against the car.
"Oh I don't think so, Detective," Bennett said smoothly. "You see, my uncle is sending me away. Far away in fact. Somewhere where the American government has no authority." The smugness in his voice and face was making Drew sick to his stomach, but he said nothing. "Don't worry, we'll see each other again, I'm sure of it." Bennett said, before he got into the town car. "Goodbye, Detective Hagen."
Drew stood and watched as the car then pulled away from the curb and sped off down the street. Even when it had turned a corner and was completely out of sight, he continued to just stand there and he felt absolutely horrible. Not for himself, of course, but for the victim's families. For the children of the women he murdered who would grow up in life never knowing their mother's love. He couldn't even begin to imagine what life would be like without his mother there to love him, to comfort him and to tell him how proud she was of him and his choices in life.
It was at that moment, that Drew Hagen vowed to do whatever he had to do to, legally of course, get Maxwell Bennett behind bars for good.
- - -
Present day - New York City, New York.
Julie Collins, single mother of two, was in her living room watching TV and enjoying a quiet afternoon while the children were napping, when there was a knock at the door. Thankful that someone had actually read and took into consideration the "please knock, there are children sleeping" sign that she'd taped to the door, Julie got up and answered it.
"Hello?" She called though the door.
"Uh hi. My name is Max and I just moved in to the apartment down the hall." Came a man's voice.
Once she'd made sure that the chain was firmly in place, Julie opened the door a crack to peek out. Standing in the hallway, she saw a man with brown hair, who was average height for a man and was athletic in build. He had a thick beard, so it was hard for her to tell exactly how old he was, but if she'd had to wager a guess, she would've said he was probably in his mid to late thirties or just edging early forties. His most striking feature though, were his eyes. They were the biggest, most beautiful clear blue eyes that she had seen in her life.
All in all, she decided that he was very handsome and seemed harmless enough.
"What can I do for you?" she asked.
Max smiled, a bright and charming smile. "My phone hasn't been turned on yet and my cellphone has died and my charger is still packed away. Do you mind if I use your phone to call the phone company?"
Julie smiled back. "Not at all. Hold on a second." She closed the door and removed the chain, then opened it wide for Max to step inside.
"Thank you." Max said as he closed the door behind him.
"The phone is this way." She led him into the living room.
Once they were there, Max noted the children's DVDs on the shelf above the television and toys laying around. "Do you have children?"
Julie nodded. "A boy and a girl. That's them in the picture." She was pointing to a picture on the wall behind him next to the door.
"Where are they now?" he asked. It was small apartment, and he didn't see them anywhere in sight.
"They're in their bedroom sleeping. We just got back from California and they're still pretty jet lagged." Julie then picked up the phone off of the base and handed it to him.
"Thank you," Max replied with a smile as he took it from her.
"Would you like some tea?" She asked. It had been a long time since the had been in the company of a man, even a stranger and she wanted to make it last just a little longer. Not that she was desperate, not really, just lonely.
"I would love some." Max replied, with that same charming smile as before.
"Great." Julie said, smiling back again.
As she turned toward the kitchen, Max clenched his fist around the phone and brought it up over his head. Julie had gotten no more than a few feet away, when the phone hit her hard in the back of the head. Instantly she went down. Although she was stunned and bleeding from the back of her head, she had enough sense to roll over on her back and stare up at her attacker.
"Please," she said with tears in her eyes. "Not my babies. Please don't hurt my children."
Max just stared down at her. He was smiling, but his eyes were empty. "Don't worry," he said in a smooth voice. "I'm only going to kill you."
Before Julie could even react to the words, Max brought the phone down again against her skull and this time he didn't stop until he was sure that she was dead.
- - -
Hours later, the place was crawling with cops.
The first thing that Detective Mac Taylor registered when he passed the crime scene tape and uniform at the door, was that same picture that Julie had pointed out earlier that day of her smiling and happy with her two children, on the wall. He noted how pretty she was and how happy she had looked as she and her children enjoyed a day at Coney Island. The second thing he noticed was the body and he couldn't help but shiver at the sight. Whoever had murdered Julie Collins had beaten her so bad that her face was completely unrecognizable. The coroner would have to use finger prints and dental records to officially identify her.
"Mac." Detective Don Flack Jr. greeted him, once he realized that he'd arrive.
"What have we got, Flack?" Mac asked, moving carefully pass the body to where Flack was standing behind the couch.
"Victim's name is Julie Collins, age twenty nine. Single mom living here with her two kids." Flack was reading from his notebook.
"Where are the children?" Mac asked.
"Social Services took them five minutes ago." Flack replied.
"Are you sure it's the mother?" Mac asked.
Flack nodded. "Sure as we can be for now. Neighbor said that she and the children were the only ones who live in the apartment."
Both men looked away from the body when they heard movement in the hallway. A second later, Detective Danny Messer came walking into the room.
"Danny," Mac greeted him with a nod.
"Mac, " Danny replied with a nod of his own.
"The same neighbor who I spoke to called 911 a little more than an hour ago when she said she heard the children crying and couldn't get a response form the mother. The officer on scene had to kick the door open." Flack continued reading from his notebook.
Both Danny and Mac looked at the door in question and could see the chunk of wood that had been taken out of the side panel from where the lock met the door jam.
"So whoever killed her lock the door after?" Danny asked.
"Or left some other way." Mac replied. "You work the body and I'll dust the windows for prints."
Danny nodded. "Sounds good to me."
"I'll do a canvas and ask around if any of the other neighbors heard or saw anything." Flack said and then left the scene.
Just as Mac was about to start dusting the kitchen window for prints, his phone rang. He un-clipped it form his belt and answered it. "Detective Taylor?"
"Mac, it's Drew Hagen."
"Drew, good to hear from you." Mac said. Although he couldn't help but get the feeling that Drew wasn't calling for social reasons.
"Likewise. Listen, there's something I need to talk to you about and it's important. Do you have a minute?"
Mac looked around the scene. "I'm at a crime scene right now. Can it wait?"
"Not really."
Mac could hear the tension in Drew's voice. "Alright. Let me call someone else in and I'll give you a call when I get back to my office."
"Alright."
"I'll call you in about half an hour or so." Mac said and then hung up.
Danny, who was kneeling before the body taking pictures, looked away from his camera and up at his boss. "Problems?" He asked.
Mac nodded. "You're going to have to work this with Samantha. Will you give her a call for me? I've got to get back to the labs."
"Yeah sure, no prob." Danny said.
"Thanks." Mac quickly packed up what little gear he had gotten out and left the scene.
Once he was gone, Danny put down the camera and picked up his cellphone. He hit a number on the speed dial and waited a the few moments it took to ring.
"Hello?" Sam answered.
"Hagen, looks like you're stuck with me tonight." He said.
"I thought Mac was working with you?" She asked.
"So did I. But he just got a call from your cousin Drew and split."
"Drew?" Samantha asked, clearly confused as to why her cousin would be calling her boss and not her. Surely if it had been personal, he would've called her first or even Miranda.
Danny nodded, though he knew that she couldn't see him. "Yup."
"I wonder what it's about." She said.
"Well get your butt down here and we can find out after we process everything. I'll text you the address."
"On my way". Sam replied and then hung up.
Danny quickly opened up a text message window and typed in the address, then hit send.
So much for a quiet Saturday night.
- - -
A little less than half an hour later, Mac was back at the labs and seated in his office. He picked up the phone and quickly dialed Drew's number. He didn't have to wait long though. One ring and Drew was on the other line.
"Mac?" He answered.
"Yes. Now what's so important that you had me leave a scene for?" Mac replied
"You've got a serial killer in your city." Drew then began to tell Mac the story of Maxwell Bennett and everything that had happened back in Pearl River.
"Are you sure?" Mac asked, once Drew was finished talking. He really didn't want it to be true, but he knew that Drew wouldn't have called unless it was.
"Customs said he flew into JFK a couple of days ago. I just found out half an hour and a half ago and called you as soon as it was confirmed."
Just then in a knot began to form in the pit of Mac's stomach. "The scene I've just come from, involves a young murdered mother."
A similar knot was beginning to form in Drew's stomach as well. "Oh no."
Mac sighed. "Mother of two, beaten to death with a cordless phone."
"How old were the children?"
"One was two and the other had just turned three years old a few months ago." Mac replied.
Drew sighed. "Goddamn it to hell, son of a bitch."
"My feelings exactly." Mac said. "How soon can you get to New York?"
"Already making the arrangements." Drew replied. He had his laptop open in front of him and the browser was on a travel website. He was putting in the information as he spoke.
"Good. I'll call Yvette and let her know what's going on. And Drew?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry."
"Me too, Mac. Me too."
Mac hung up the phone and sighed heavily. This was the last thing he needed right now.
Drew was having similar feelings in New Orleans.
When he'd first gotten the call from the security agent at customs, he thought it was some sort of sick joke. He'd never in his entire life thought that Maxwell Bennett would return to the United States. But he apparently had and was now in New York. The fact that he had already killed wasn't as surprising as it probably should have been. Plus the fact that Drew knew that by the time this was over there would be at least one or more bodies, absolutely scared him shitless.
He was so caught up in his thoughts, that he didn't hear Anya come in or even see the hot cup of tea that she had placed beside him on the desk. In fact, he didn't even acknowledge her until she literally shook him out of it.
The confused and worried expression that he looked up at her with, damn near broke her heart and Anya immediately took him into her arms, determined to squeeze away his demons. Everyone knew about Maxwell Bennett and how much it haunted Drew. In all the years they'd known each other, she knew that he looked over Bennett's files at least once every few months and kept copies in his locker, his desk and at home. It was his obsession.
"Do you want me to go with you to New York?" She asked. Her head was on his shoulder and they were both staring straight ahead at the computer screen.
Drew shook his head, best he could. "No. This is something I've got to do on my own and someone needs to stay with the boys. Plus Yvette can't stand to lose two detectives this short notice."
Anya nodded, without removing her head from her husband's shoulder. "Especially her best one."
When Drew didn't make a joke about him being the best, Anya's heart ached more as she realized at the moment just how serious this was. She had never known him to pass up the opportunity to make a stupid joke. His lame jokes were part of the reason she fell in love with him.
"You'll get him," she said firmly.
"I hope so," he replied, not so sure.
"You will," she said again. Before she could say anything more on the matter, the baby monitor on their beside table came to life and the sounds of their twins crying blared through it.
"Guess they're up from their nap," he said.
"I'm going to check on them. Will you be okay?"
Drew nodded. "Go."
Reluctantly, she let go of her husband, but not before kissing the top of his head. When she was gone, he went back to the computer and finished putting in the information for the airline tickets.